Working from home has existed on a small scale pre-pandemic. However, the threat of COVID forced governments worldwide to halt regular business operations. To adapt to these changes, you’ve most likely shifted to a work-from-home setup in the last two years.
While this is a blessing for those who suffer from long commute times, not everyone has the space for a home office. For this reason, you may be looking for ways to get a quiet working space on your home premises. In the following sections, you will read more on some tips you can take for renovating your garage into the perfect office.
Decluttering the Garage
Up to this point, you’ve probably been using your garage as extra storage space. To make room for a brand-new office, you’ll need to clear out your garage first to make planning much more manageable. Decluttering your garage is also the perfect time for you to organize all the items stored in your garage.
You can utilize clear plastic storage boxes that protect your items from dirt and humidity. It’ll also make your things easier to move since plastic containers usually have handles. Lastly, using clear plastic boxes specifically means you can have a glance at the items stored inside, so you won’t have to rummage around when looking for something specific.
Planning The New Office
If you want to start renovating your garage and DIY your new office, you’ll need a proper plan to achieve that. Moreover, you may also need to run a few extra utilities like water and electrical lines, add a fire-rated stainless steel access panel, or even route HVAC ducts to ventilate your office.
It’s also good practice to check in with your local authorities, including health and safety, fire safety, and building codes. Checking in with the appropriate authorities helps reduce the risk of injury to yourself and others living in the house.
Having Good Lighting
Your garage may not have the best lighting setup from the outset of planning, and you’ll need to have this sorted out to have a proper working environment. Having lots of natural or artificial lights in your office allows you to focus on your work and showcase any decorations you may want to include in the future.
If you’re looking to spice up your office, you can choose to install color-adjustable LED wall panels. These wall panels are perfect for creating the kind of atmosphere you want during your workday without significantly increasing your electricity bill.
Going Over Insulation
Since garages aren’t usually inhabited, many homeowners may forgo installing insulation to reduce costs. However, renovating your garage into an office space may also necessitate adding insulation to the walls. While this may be a building requirement in some areas, adding insulation also has several benefits.
For one, it allows your AC or Heater unit to work less to maintain a specific temperature because it’s thermally isolated from the outside. Additionally, insulation helps keep moisture out of your office, ensuring your paperwork and equipment stay nice and dry.
Finally, insulation may help with reducing unwanted noise in your workspace. If you want to create a peaceful environment, try to find insulation that offers thermal and acoustic isolation. Adding this type of insulation ensures you’ll work in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
Adding Security Measures
Your work may involve sensitive data and equipment that you must protect while you work from home. Installing security measures, such as window and door locks, allow you to create layers of deterrents.
These deterrents are vital protection you need as it gives you a chance to react earlier to a potential break-in. Furthermore, if criminals see some security system in place, they’ll assume you also have other forms of security as a backup. As a result, they’re more likely to back down and look for an easier target.
Creating an Ergonomic Layout
Making an office environment you’ll want to work in is vital, so you’ll need to account for ergonimics. An ergonomic layout essentially means creating a means where you can work without causing injury to others or yourself.
Here are some factors you’ll need to consider:
- Getting Desks of the Right Height: You’ll most likely spend most of your time seated in front of a desk. Because of this, you’ll need a desk perfect for your chair combination and height. Short desks will cause you to hunch over for most of the day, slowly developing into back problems as you get older.
- Adding Storage Options: Work often requires you to keep some paperwork and equipment around. You’ll need to keep your space nice and tidy to create a calm working environment. Adding shelf units to your walls is one way to remain organized while having complete visibility over all your equipment.
In Conclusion
While there are other things to remember when renovating a garage to an office, hopefully, these tips gave you the information you need to get started. Remember that this project takes time, so it’s essential to plan out everything entirely so you end up with an office you’ll love.